


Under My Skin, Man

by psychosocial_ish



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: AU, Angst, Bad Dreams, Bipolar!Ian, Bisexuality, Family Fluff, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gallavich, Homosexuality, Honestly I just needed to write this, I need a good story for my boys, I'm Bad At Tagging, Incarcerated Terry Milkovich, Inspired by Shameless (US), LGBTQ Female Character, Love, M/M, Mental Illness, Mentioned Kash Karib, Mentioned Mandy Milkovich, Mentioned Trevor (Shameless US), Only Specific Parts of Season 8 apply, POV Third Person Omniscient, Protective Iggy Milkovich, Swearing, trigger warning for bipolar disorder and dissociation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-04 22:45:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15157268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychosocial_ish/pseuds/psychosocial_ish
Summary: Ian has been, well, alive without Mickey in his life, although he admits things have gotten pretty shitty. But when a mysterious guest arrives at the Gallagher house and propositions Ian, he faces a tough decision.Set 2 years after Ian left Mickey at the border. Only specific bits of Season 8 apply.





	1. The Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first Gallavich fic and I really love this ship. I hope you lovely readers enjoy it!

The cold Chicago weather bit at her olive skin as she sat waiting, the car idling, dressed entirely in black (her favourite colour). It wasn’t the nicest vehicle, but it got the job done and her contacts had provided adequately for her. She toyed around with her iPhone, silently wishing she was back on the beach and sipping on a margarita with some beautiful face, wondering how the hell was she going to see this through since she hadn’t been back here since that night. Yet here she was, watching the house, waiting for her to come home so she wouldn’t have to be alone with him. 

Speak of the devil, there she was coming down the sidewalk.

Her heart jumped and she shut off the car, making sure to take the keys out. She hadn’t forgot what the South Side was like. Her coat did its job to keep the cold from overwhelming her body but she couldn’t help that her tricep area was still freezing. The ripped jeans were a silly mistake since her thighs were almost red and stinging from the wind chill. Her combat boots were sentimental. She missed the South Side somewhat, and her boots were one of the items she had brought with her all those years ago when she started all over again. They crunched on the show under her feet as she crossed over to the house. Her long, dark hair was tied up in a bun while earmuffs protected their designated appendages. Her dark brown eyes were trained on the woman who had opened the door to 2119 North Wallace Street. 

_Fiona,_ she remembered. _This is Fiona Gallagher._

She decided to take a little detour in the opposite direction to keep anyone from getting suspicious. The block wasn’t long and it only took her about 10 minutes of slowly strolling down and up once to reach the Gallagher house again. 

Reluctance was welling in her gut as she neared it. She was one of the toughest people in her family, having beaten multiple people within inches of their lives not only for self-defense and survival, but because they simply deserved it for wronging her or her loved ones. But now that she was faced with such an emotionally and psychologically delicate task, she wasn’t sure how to handle it without her fists. 

Before she knew it, she had climbed the steps and was now standing at the front door. Her black, fingerless glove covered hands were shaking slightly from a mix of nerves and the cold. But she knew that this wasn’t about her. It was for him, and she loved him dearly, so she had to get this done. After all, 2 years is a while. She checked her pockets again to make sure everything was still there and hadn’t been forgotten in the car. Satisfied, she took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled from her mouth, her dark red lips quaking. She raised her right hand and knocked 5 times.

Listening carefully, she heard footsteps on the other side and the unlocking of 2 locks. The door opened as she straightened herself up, trying to look as tough as possible to hide her anxiety.

Her again. Fiona Gallagher.

“Hi, can I help you?” she asked with a slight smile.

“Is this the Gallagher household?” the black clad girl inquired.

“Uh yeah,” Fiona said, “You lookin’ for someone in particular, or…?”

“Ian,” the girl said with a small smile. As much as it pained her to force it, she knew that things would go smoother if she appeared more personable than she really was.

Fiona eyed her suspiciously but still smiled at her and asked, “Wanna come in? It’s pretty cold today.”

“Sure, thanks.” 

Entering the house, it was almost like she had imagined. Comfy, loving atmosphere with a slight smell of alcohol and fried chicken in the air. She looked towards the kitchen and saw KFC on the counter. How long had it been since she ate that? She smiled as she took off her boots and jacket, revealing a plain black sweatshirt. 

“You hungry? Thirsty?” Fiona asked, walking towards the kitchen as the girl took a seat on the couch. 

“Nah, I’m alright,” she replied, looking down at her white socks. A few scattered toys lay before her. She remembered him telling her there were some kids in the house. Liam and Franny. It made her heart ache.

“Ian! You got company!” Fiona shouted up the stairs.

A faint voice that made the girl jump asked “Who is it?!”

Fiona asked from the kitchen, “What’s your name?”

“Kat,” the girl said.

“Kat!”

Ian took a few seconds to reply but eventually said, “Okay, be down in a sec!”

Fiona reentered the living-room and sat on the couch next to Kat. “So, how do you know Ian?” She took a sip of a beer that she got from the fridge.

Kat didn’t answer. She kept staring down at the floor and twiddled her thumbs.

Fiona raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips as she nodded. “Oookay.” She set her beer on the table.

Kat heard the heavy footsteps coming down the stairs in the kitchen and stood immediately, facing the entryway. The speed of her movements took Fiona by surprise but she also stood slowly. She saw the tenseness in Kat’s body and thought for a second to ask if she was okay, but decided against it and instead went to retrieve her brother. 

Kat heard them talking quietly in the kitchen and knew it was about her, but looked down at the floor and waited for them to enter the living-room. 

Kat looked up and Ian stopped dead in his tracks.

“Hi, Ian,” she said.

He didn’t speak. Instead, memories were going through his head at a million miles a second. Eyes, eyebrows, attitude. Her intensity. She was almost Ian’s height. Everything about her seemed to scream at him and he couldn’t help but think...

He blinked after some time and shook his head, chuckling softly as he walked towards her with his hand outstretched. It couldn’t be possible. He would have known. “S-sorry, I, uh…” he started, but became lost.

Taking his hand and shaking it firmly, Kat said “It’s fine.”

Staring into her eyes, Ian found himself frozen where he stood, his legs failing him as the urge to run away flooded his body. Kat could feel his hand shaking in hers. She smiled sadly at him. 

Fiona plopped back down on the couch and picked up her beer again. “So, you guys work together?”

Ian opened his mouth to speak but Kat beat him to it. “No, we uh..” she scratched the back of her neck. Damn anxious tendencies. “We went to school together. I moved away some time ago and decided to come back and visit.”

Fiona looked to Ian for confirmation and he nodded, much to Kat’s relief. He catches on quick, she thought as she raised an eyebrow.

Ian took a breath and asked in a voice louder than he meant it to be, “Wanna go for a walk? I could use a little exercise.”

Kat didn’t bat an eye. “Sure, I’ll get my stuff.”

Ian nodded and rushed back up the stairs and through the hall to get his coat on the bed. He stopped as Mickey’s eyes, his intensity flashed in his mind. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog that decided to make itself at home when his eyes met Kat’s only moments ago. He retrieved the coat and his boots and made his way back downstairs to find that Kat was already waiting on the porch, according to Fiona.

She stopped him as he reached for the knob. “I don’t like this. It feels all sorts of fucked up. Who is she?”

“She’s a friend from school,” Ian reiterated, not needing anymore trouble.

Fiona took a moment to search for any doubt in Ian’s face. Finding none that she could detect, she rubbed his shoulder. “Be careful?”

“We will,” he chuckled as he pulled the door open, smiling back at Fiona before pulling it shut.

He turned to see Kat on the sidewalk. She only stared back, her eyes squinting slightly from the brightness of the snow. Reluctantly, Ian descended the steps to join the girl and their walk began.

After a few moments of nothing but the sound of crunching snow beneath them, Ian finally asked, “Are you gonna tell me who you are?”

“I’m Kat. You knew that already.”

Ian was surprised by the lack of emotion in her voice. So much like him. “You know what I mean,” he said, feeling his anxiety turning slowly into agitation.

“Don’t get your shit in a knot, you’ll find out everything soon enough. I don’t got a lot of time here anyway.”

Why wouldn’t she look at him? “Then fucking tell me so we don’t waste any of that time.”

She stopped and turned to look in his eyes. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Just fucking tell me!” Ian said urgently.

Kat threw her hands up in front of her. “Okay, Jesus! Let’s go find somewhere to sit.”

She walked ahead of him, and when she noticed he wasn’t beside her, she stopped as well. “Are you coming?”

Ian blinked and took a deep breath before jogging to catch up to her.

\-----

The park was blanketed in white, the sky a light grey. They were surprised to find a bench that wasn’t covered in snow. Luckily for them, it had been situated beneath a large, shady oak that shielded it. Kat pulled up her hood as they sat in case of a sudden downfall should the leaves give way.

Ian’s leg bounced incessantly, and the dark eyed girl felt a twinge of guilt in her belly before she spoke. “Before I say anything, I want you to know that I came here on my own. Nobody knows anything about this.” She turned to look at him

Ian nodded and met her gaze. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “I have a proposition for you.”

The redhead audibly gulped. “Okay.”

“Come see him for a month.”

His stomach dropped and his face paled, but the girl continued. “I have a plane ticket for you and a month’s supply of your necessary meds.” Ian’s brows furrowed at that. “He remembers,” she explained. “You have a week to decide.” She took a piece of folded paper from her pocket and handed it to him. “This is my number. Call me anytime.” And with that she stood and walked off in the other direction, leaving Ian alone on the bench.

He looked down at the paper in his hand for a few minutes, absorbing what she had just said. This couldn’t be real. Any second he was going to wake up in his bed to the sound of Fiona screaming for Carl and Liam to wake up.

Unless…

He reached into his sleeve and pinched his arm. Much to his dismay, this was very real. His breathing became shallow and quickened. 

The opportunity to see Mickey again was something he had thought of too many times to count since he left him at the border. Ian had spent days on end restless, had spent sleepless nights wondering if he had made the right decision in choosing to stay here in Chicago, to try to make things right with Trevor, which he hadn’t succeeded in. But he had a job and a family that counted on him. Fiona needed his support, as did Lip. Debbie needed help with Franny. Carl and Liam needed someone to look up to. Yevgeny…

Yevgeny.

He needed Ian, too. Although he had Kev, V, and his mother, Ian still felt responsible for him ever since the kidnapping. He owed it to Yevgeny to make the rest of his life stable and right. He saw Mickey in the boy’s eyes and in his smile. In a way, it was like Mickey never left, a piece of him was still with Ian. That baby was his life. As far as he was concerned, he was as much a parent to him as Svetlana was.

He looked down at the piece of paper again, unfolding it slowly. Removing the glove from his right hand, he let his fingertips trace over the letters of her name and her cell number. Her words echoed in his head.

_Call me anytime._

He stood up, feeling as though he wasn’t entirely in his body, and absentmindedly began to walk home slowly. 

The world was devoid of sound and colour as Ian travelled the snow-covered sidewalk. It began to fall slowly just as he left the park and his hair and eyelashes were sprinkled with the tiny crystals. He felt no cold. Instead, it was as though he was watching himself walking from above, somehow still controlling his movements yet not in complete control, as though he was on autopilot. He had felt this before when he was in the psych ward and for a while after he was released, but it had been a while since then. A while since he had felt this. But what the hell was he to do? He could only let the feeling pass when it happened before, sheltering himself in his room to sleep it off and only coming out to eat or use the bathroom. 

So he walked on through the snow and when he reached the house, a warmth washed over him. He was safe there with Fiona, Lip, Debs, Carl, Liam, and Franny. Even if they didn’t understand him completely, he knew they loved him and would help in any way they could, even if it meant leaving him alone. Looking up at the windows to his and Lip’s shared room, he felt sleepy. Ian laboured slowly up the front steps and opened the door.

There was no one in the living-room. Good, he thought. No one to bother him. He slowly made his way up the stairs and was annoyed to see Fiona coming out of the bathroom.

She saw the emptiness in his eyes and her face fell. “What happened?” she asked, concern in her voice.

“Nothing… I’m just having a mood swing,” he said softly.

“Did she trigger it?” The older girl held her hand to Ian’s pale cheek and searched his glossy, green eyes.

“No. I just wanna go to bed,” he said, gently moving past her to enter the bedroom and closing the door behind him. 

Fiona stood looking in his direction, helplessness washing over her. 

The front door opened again downstairs and a voice Fiona knew to be Lip’s called out, “Anyone home?!”

Fiona made her way down to the living-room. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he said breathily, shivering as he rubbed his hands together. He noticed the anxiousness in her voice. “You okay?”

Staring into his ocean eyes, Fiona explained, “Ian’s not doin’ good. I think it’s another depressive episode.”

Lip’s face tenses. “Yikes… Did anything trigger it?”

The woman sighed. “He said no, but I think it’s got something to do with his friend, Kat.”

The boy’s brow furrowed. “Who the fuck’s Kat?” He hung his coat and unwrapped his scarf to put on the hanger. 

“A friend from school I guess. She moved away a while ago and decided to visit Ian.” She sat on the couch and fiddled with a string on her shirt.

“Where are they? Upstairs?” Lip asked, removing his boots. 

Her doe eyes looked towards her younger brother. “Just Ian… They went for a walk and when he came back he was just so… Gone. He wasn’t all there.”

“Dissociation,” Lip said, “It’s a defense mechanism. Might be what’s goin’ on, not another episode.” He went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

Fiona’s face contorted with confusion. “Dissociation?”

“Yeah!” Lip said, “They talked about it in my psych course.” He sat down next to her and took a swig before continuing. “It’s like an out-of-body experience in a way. When something traumatic happens, you kinda disconnect or like, detach from yourself and your surroundings mentally so it doesn’t fuck you up so bad.”

“Like what happened when he came out of the psych ward?” Fiona asked.

“Exactly,” Lip replied, “We just gotta give him some time. He’ll get out of it.”

“But why would seeing Kat be traumatic?” she asked, her brain going in multiple directions as she tried to figure the girl out.

“Maybe she reminded him of something. They went to school together, right? Maybe she was there when something happened.” Lip reasoned.

Fiona sighed. “But what happened? There’s something he isn’t telling me. I just… I want him to be okay.”

“He will be,” the younger man assured her, “Give him some time.”

\-----

Upstairs, Ian was in a dreamless sleep, but his body was restless. His legs and arms fidgeted in all directions and his head kept turning side to side. It’s as though his unconcious couldn’t seem to find him a comfortable position to lie in. Or, it was trying to wake him up. He knew deep down couldn’t hide from all of this. What just happened was a major opportunity, and as scary as it sounded, it was important一 no, it was imperative that he face this, and with a clear head. 

After a while, he opened his eyes again with a start. His view was slightly foggy, which he chalked up to being caused by his strange sleep. He checked the time on his phone. 3:30 p.m.. What had felt like hours was only nearly 20 minutes. His stomach growled and he knew he needed to eat, but did not feel any hunger. In fact, food was the last thing on his mind. But he stood slowly and rubbed his eyes as he exited his bedroom and went to splash cold water on his face in the bathroom sink. It woke him up more, but it didn’t help bring him back to his body. So he descended the stairs into the kitchen.

Fiona and Lip heard the heavy footsteps and saw a disheveled, exhausted-looking Ian heading towards the fridge. They both stood and walked to him slowly. 

“Hey little bro,” Lip said as casually as he could, “Look like shit.”

Ian chuckled softly. “Thanks.”

“How ya feelin’?” Fiona asked gently.

“Tired.” The redhead’s movements were slow as he grabbed milk and a box of Frosted Flakes from the top of the fridge and set them on the counter as he searched the cabinet for a bowl.

Lip moved to open the drawer and grabbed him a spoon. “Here,” he said as he handed it to Ian, who pursed his lips and nodded his thanks as he poured the cereal. 

Fiona took the box after Ian was finished with it and put it back on the fridge. Ian attempted to pour the milk but his hand was shaking too much and it spilled onto the counter. His frustration was building as he sighed and put his hand over his eyes. He couldn't cry. Not now.

“Here, let me,” Fiona said as she grabbed the milk and poured it into his bowl.

Ian sniffled and wiped at his eyes roughly with his fingertips. He knew his face had to be red. But he took the bowl and sat at the kitchen table, trying to steady his breathing as he picked up the spoon. Still his hand shook.

“This would be a lot easier if you guys weren’t staring at me like I’m fucking crazy,” he said tiredly.

“We’re just worried about you,” said Fiona.

Lip laid a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s leave him alone. He’ll be okay.”

Looking back at her redheaded brother, she saw him put the spoon in his mouth and he was chewing slowly. She nodded and Lip guided her back to the living-room.

As he ate, Ian let his mind wander to wherever it decided to go. Anywhere was better than the present. 

He saw himself back in ROTC, messing around with the cute boys. He saw himself and Kash exchanging small gifts when Linda left with their sons. Kash gave him new sneakers, while Ian gave him a wool sweater since it was cold that winter. He saw Mickey.

Ian’s stomach lurched and he walked briskly to the sink in case his stomach decided to empty itself. 

Instead, he simply stood there and let the anxiety slowly subside. This was going to be rough.


	2. The Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian takes some time to get back to himself, and when he does, he learns some things about his mysterious new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter was finished up quicker than I thought it would be. I hope you guys like it! And I'm sorry that the chapters are so long!

Katerina slept in her car that night outside her old house. Well, she mostly rested her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. She hadn’t been away from him in 2 years and hadn’t even seen her house in nearly 10 years. Her dark orbs would look up to the house once in a while to make sure that nothing was happening in case she needed to make a quick getaway. She shivered and wrapped her blanket tighter around her body.

She hoped Ian was okay. He looked so out of it when she left him in the park. What she said probably scared him shitless, but she needed to do it. He needs to know. He needs to… And she hoped that fucker was still in jail. She hoped and prayed because if he wasn’t and she saw him… she wouldn’t be able to stop herself. 

Her body burned at the memories and she shook her head, erasing the visions away like an etch-a-sketch. Kat closed her eyes once more and tried to fall asleep, but her attempts were all in vain.

\-----

Looking up at the ceiling that was less than a foot from his face, Lip listened carefully for Ian’s breathing to even out before he looked over at his sleeping brother. His heart sank.

Ian looked so pale, like a ghost of his former self. Whatever happened between him and this girl Kat must have really shaken him up for this to be happening again. The sight of him hunched over the kitchen sink, shaking like a cold, wet dog was one of the saddest things he had seen in a while.

Quietly, Lip removed his blanket and swung his legs over the edge of the bunk bed, careful not to make too much noise and wake Ian when he finally reached the ground. He’d been through enough today. The blue-eyed Gallagher brother took a final glance at his green-eyed brother’s sleeping face before exiting the room to check on Fiona.

Her bedroom door was open and she was sitting up in bed with a cigarette in one hand and her forehead in the other. Lip sighed as he leaned on the doorframe and knocked.

Fiona looked up, stress written in the contours of her face. “You okay? Can’t sleep?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” he nodded, “Just wanted to see if you were.”

She took a drag and exhaled slowly. “Yeah, just a little restless is all.” She smiled sadly and patted the bed for her brother to sit with her.

Lip plopped down softly. “I think he’s finally in a peaceful sleep.”

“Good,” replied Fiona, looking at her clock. 11:13 p.m. It had taken him 4 hours to fall asleep. 

“Wanna tell me about this chick?” he asked, taking the cigarette and taking a long drag.

The oldest sibling sighed as she ran a hand lazily through her hair. “Well… She was dressed only in fuckin’ black.” 

“Not an entirely bad sign since it’s winter,” Lip reasoned.

“She didn’t talk much and Ian didn’t seem to recognize her at first.”

“Haven’t seen each other in a while. Maybe she changed a lot?” He handed the cigarette back.

Taking a drag Fiona continued, “True… But there was something so familiar about her. But, I mean, I’ve never seen her before.”

“Does she look like anyone? Maybe she’s got family we know.” Lip raised his eyebrows and Fiona couldn’t help but admire how her brother’s big blue eyes shined in the minimal light. He never seemed to completely lose his optimism in spite of all the shit he’s been through.

“Nah, I don’t think so… I don’t know her last name.”

“Might be a good thing to find out at some point,” Lip said as he stood. He bent down to kiss his sister’s forehead. “‘Night, big sis. Get some sleep.”

Fiona smiled. “You, too.”

\-----

Morning greeted Ian with his alarm clock at 6 a.m. He’d had a dreamless sleep and was feeling slightly better than the previous day. Shutting his alarm, he reached for his medication bottles and took a pill from each. He whispered to himself, “Antipsychotic, Lithium, antidepressant.” The pills were washed down with a half-empty bottle of Gatorade and he stood slowly, his head swimming slightly from the anxiety of the day before. EMT work didn’t wait.

Seeing that Lip and Carl were sleeping, he went downstairs and quickly made himself something to eat so his stomach wouldn’t get upset from the meds. This usually consisted of two waffles with butter pressed together into a sandwich so he could eat quickly as he prepared his clothes and waited for the water to warm up in the shower. Following this routine, he found, kept the more uncomfortable side effects of the meds and his disorder at bay. He finished the final bites of his breakfast after laying out the final bits of his work uniform on his bed before entering the warm shower.

The water hit every knot in his shoulders and back and he gratefully sighed at the sensation of release. He thought about what had happened yesterday and decided he would definitely be thinking about the offer, but would have to set aside time to do so. Work required his full concentration and if he was even one step out of line, Sue would be on his ass, telling him he needed to go home and rest, or take care of whatever was bothering him, knowing his disorder could bite him in the ass at any second. 

He washed his hair and quickly shaved once his shower was over, and dried and dressed himself as fast as he could before anyone would wake him. His heart stopped when he heard Lip shifting positions in his sleep, but relaxed when the oldest Gallagher brother finally settled back down. 

\-----

Ian had good coworkers who often looked out for him when they could tell he was troubled. They all greeted him when he clocked in at 6:30. However, Ian did a very good job of hiding when something was bothering him if it wasn’t a manic episode, so his morning went without incident until 4 hours later.

The first 3 calls were to car accident scenes. Nothing too bad except for some broken arms and a concussion. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle easily. But the fourth call, at 10:30 a.m., was a psychiatric emergency. That’s when Ian tensed up and his hands unconsciously balled into fists. It seemed like the past was going to be with him until he decided to say something to someone, even if it was just to Kat.

Sue called out, “Alright, people, let’s move!” But her voice was so far away to Ian. It echoed and the world became a blur. He remembered the schizophrenic girl and how he loosened her straps. She flung herself out of the ambulance. How could he have allowed his disorder to cloud his judgement like that? How could he have allowed his judgement to be clouded at the last second when he and Mickey were at the border?

“Gallagher,” a voice said. Ian felt a hand on his shoulder and the world was clear. “Ian,” Sue’s voice came in clear.

He looked up at her, his eyes welling up with tears. He blinked and a few burned like acid into the terrain of his cheeks. 

“Unclench your fists,” Ian’s boss said gently. 

The redhead looked down and saw his knuckles were white as the snow on the street and he inhaled. As he let out his deep breath he felt it easier to let his hands uncurl and relax. 

Sue could feel his whole body shaking under her palm. “I don’t know what’s wrong, but I think you need to go home, Ian. It’s okay.”

Looking up with pleading grassy eyes to protest her comment, Ian tried to speak but was immediately hushed. “Please go home. Take care of yourself first.”

His face contorted with the silent cries that burned his throat as the tears fell freely now. Ian nodded as he hung his head and stood, grabbing his jacket and preparing for the cold outside as he walked to the train station. He hoped the L would be there soon.

\-----

The house was empty except for Lip when he got home, who was sitting in the kitchen eating some left over KFC. The sound of the door opening and closing caused the blue-eyed Gallagher brother to look up towards the living-room and he locked eyes with Ian. 

“What’re you doin’ home? Thought you had work?” asked Lip through a mouthful of chicken.

“Not feelin’ so good,” Ian replied, his voice monotone.

Lip only raised his eyebrows. “You hungry?”

Truthfully, Ian wasn’t feeling much of anything since he got on the L, let alone hunger, but he nodded and let Lip make him a plate of mashed potatoes with gravy and a biscuit. “The chicken’s kinda heavy. Don’t wanna bother your stomach.”

Ian thanked his brother in a soft voice and let a small smile form as he took a bite from the mashed potatoes. 

\----- 

The next 2 days were uneventful at the Gallagher house. Fiona went to work and brought home tips that she put into the rent box. Lip was in and out of the house most of the day, doing some grocery shopping here and there, bringing Liam to school and Franny to daycare and picking them both up. Sometimes he would be cooking with whatever ingredients he found in the house to pass time instead of watching TV all day while he waited for Liam and Franny’s day to finish. Debbie and Carl both worked full-time. 

Ian slept most of the day from what everyone could tell and he only left his room to piss and shit or to force himself to eat something. He was starting to feel slightly better each day and was thinking clearer, possibly because he continued to take his meds. He couldn’t help but hear Mickey’s voice in the back of his head saying, “Take your pills, bitch.” He was still under his skin.  
He knew he needed to speak to Kat, not to decide now if he wanted to take her up on her offer, but to get to know her a bit. Maybe he could make a new friend, find a way to correspond with her and possibly him if they agreed to it. She knew him somehow… It’s the only way she would know about Ian. 

So he thought and thought and thought some more as he lay in his bed, holding the piece of paper in his hand as he stared at the ceiling and the olive skinned girl’s voice echoed in his head. 

_Call me anytime._

She sounded so sincere about it, too. There was nothing forceful or threatening about the way she said it. It was is if she really was an old friend coming to visit. She said she was here on her own with no one else being involved, but perhaps, unconsciously, she really meant for it to be him. She was hinting at something, wasn’t she?

But Ian couldn’t be sure. He needed to sleep on it some more. Still, he put Kat’s number into his phone and put her contact name as a cat emoji. Maybe when he learned her real name he would change it. He smiled at the thought of getting to know her. Maybe she would be helpful. Ian allowed his eyes to close and he went into a deep, dreamless sleep.

\----- 

On the fourth day since Kat walked into his life, Ian woke at 8:23 a.m. to find that he was home alone. He searched every room of the house, but there was no one to be found. He figured that Lip must have gone out to go get some groceries to make some other random yet delicious dish. He chuckled to himself as he went downstairs to the kitchen, feeling almost like his old self again. 

He checked his phone for any messages and saw that it was Thursday. The days really did fly by while he was in his weird state. He made himself his waffles after taking his meds and read the texts he had from Fiona and Lip.

_Fiona 7:32 a.m.: Hey little bro, hope you’re feeling better today love u_

_Lip 8:01 a.m.: Went to get cake mix. We’re gonna bake together tonight_

He smiled as he put his phone down after saying _“Love you too”_ to Fiona and _“K haha”_ to Lip. He turned on the TV and flipped through channels until he found “Ice Road Truckers” and continued to finish his breakfast.

After the 45 minute episode Ian turned off the TV and picked up his phone. No messages, no missed calls. Nothing. He thought about Kat and knew that he didn’t have much time left, so he clicked on her number and felt his stomach knot up as the line trilled once, twice, three times, four一

_”Hello?”_

Ian gasped. She sounded like him, the same initial harshness and suspicion. His voice shook. “Hi… I-it’s Ian.”

Her voice softened. _”You okay?”_

He breathed slowly. “Yeah… I thought about what you said.”

_”You don’t have to decide now.”_

“I know…” he said softly. _Act natural_ , he thought to himself. _Be honest._ “I was hoping we could meet somewhere, talk… Get to know each other a bit better before we talk about your offer.”

She was silent for a few moments and he became nervous. _”How about The Alibi?”_

He breathed a sigh of relief. A familiar place with familiar people. “I can meet you there in a half hour,” he replied.

_”Okay. I’ll see you then.”_ She hung up.

Ian looked at the phone as he shut the screen off and sighed, letting his head fall back onto the couch. “Better than I thought.”

\-----

The Alibi was filled with its usual all day customers with Kev and V behind the counter while Svetlana was at a table going over some paperwork. Ian was surprised that Frank wasn’t here.

His green eyes searched for Kat at the tables before he looked towards the bar and found her staring at him with an amused smile on her face. She cocked her head, signalling for him to join her as she moved to a booth towards the back, a beer in one hand for herself and one in the other for, he assumed, him. They sat down together and she slid the beer towards him. 

“Thanks,” he said, taking a sip. Kat watched him as he wiped his sleeve across his mouth and sighed, waiting for him to meet her eyes again, and when he did she spoke. “You said you wanted to talk,” she said calmly. 

“Yeah… I wanna know who you are.”

“You assume I know every fuckin’ thing ‘bout you?” she laughed. 

He chuckled to himself, looking down at the table before meeting her dark eyes again. “I don’t know, maybe?”

Kat nodded as she looked to her right, licking her lips and leaning back against the cushion of the booth. She looked back at him. “Whatcha wanna know?”

Ian shrugged his shoulders. “Anything, I guess. Just tell me about you.”

She raised her eyebrows and rested her arms on the table, clasping her hands together. “You’ve probably figured a few things out already, but I’ll just start from the beginning if that’s alright.”

Ian nodded.

She took a deep breath. “My full name is Katerina, but most people call me Kat, Katya, or Katyusha. I like anything, though… I’m Mickey’s half-sister.” Ian swallowed thickly at that. “I was born out of wedlock because Terry Milkovich decided he wanted to fuck my mom when he saw her randomly on the street. She died when I was 4…” Kat looked down. “Her name was Anastasia. Full Greek.”

“I’m sorry,” Ian said softly.

Kat shook her head. “Don’t be. She was a great mom. Did everything she could before she got sick… She had pneumonia and her lungs just couldn’t take it.”

Nodding, Ian tried to imagine what it must have been like to have a good mom, but couldn't. He barely had one when Monica was alive. 

Kat continued. “Anyways, I’m younger than Mandy by a little over a year. My birthday is Halloween, sorta ironic since black’s my favourite colour. I turned 20.” She took a sip of beer before carrying on. “I was brought to live with Terry and my half-siblings after Ma died. Terry didn’t like me too much since I reminded him of my mother, all olive-skinned with the dark brown eyes and thick hair. The kids all loved me, though. Especially Mickey. I was his little girl pretty much.” She laughed softly and Ian smiled. “He was my bodyguard. Took so many beatings for me when Terry was coming after me with the belt or tryna pistol whip me. He and Iggy both did. Mind you,” she leaned closer to Ian, “Mickey didn’t have to. I coulda handled my own shit with Terry. I wasn’t really that scared of him.”

Ian nodded, but knew she was lying. All the kids were afraid of Terry. He found another similarity between herself and Mickey then: they hated being vulnerable. They both took sips of their beers.

“So I lived with them until I was 15. I remember the day I left like it was yesterday…” Kat shook her head. “Terry was drunk, screaming about something I didn’t really hear at first, but then I heard him talking about me. Said I ruined his fuckin’ life by bein’ alive. So I told him he shouldn’t put his dick in random women, then he wouldn’t have any problems. He went after me with a knife, but Mickey knocked his ass down. Then there was a knock at the door and everyone went quiet. Mickey answered it after he made sure I was in his room but I heard someone saying to him, ‘I need to see you.’”

Ian’s face paled. 

“Mickey was distracted and Terry found me in his room, screamed about how people were hangin’ laundry on his fuckin’ pull-up bar.” She wiped at her eyes and finished her beer in 4 gulps and burped loudly. People turned to stare at her and she shouted, “The fuck you lookin’ at?!” The patrons averted their eyes and minded their business once more. 

Ian chuckled. So much like him. But when Kat met his gaze again and saw the redness in her eyes, his smile fell. He felt guilty for distracting Mickey from protecting her, but how was he to know?

“He beat the shit outta me. Mickey came back and I was almost unconscious. I remember the look in his eyes… He was so angry. I’d never seen him like that. He pulled Dad off me and knocked him out with a steel pipe.” She looked down at the table and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “He saved my life.”

Ian felt his throat burning with tears. 

“He and Iggy helped me escape. Mickey helped me pack up a few things while Joey and Tony tied up Terry in the living-room, but then he had to leave. Had to go meet someone.”

A tear fell from Ian’s eye onto the table. Thankfully, Kat wasn’t looking at him.

“Iggy and Mandy helped me out, though. Packed the rest of my clothes and Iggy drove me down to Terre Haute where we met with some contacts he and Mickey had on the side. They took me in for a few months, got me a passport and shit. I went to Mexico and lived there ever since. Haven’t been back to Chicago until this week, but I kept in contact with Mickey.” Kat played around with a thread on her fingerless glove.

Ian wiped at his eyes quickly. “I’m sorry all that shit happened.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the girl waved it off, “I’ve gotten past most of that shit. Trauma is a daily thing now, ya know?”

Ian just shrugged. He took another sip of his beer and sighed. “What did you do to get by in Mexico?”

“Mostly odd jobs here and there, car stuff, maintenance in hotels… I did some prostitution for a year and a half, saved everything I made. I was lucky to have a nice enough pimp.” She laughed, as if prostitution was nothing but a little side job to her. “I settled down in Playa del Carmen, got myself a little house on the beach. I met a few people through the contacts Iggy had and they helped me find some more easy cash beating the shit outta people who owed a few drug lords some money. Drug lords can be very generous when you’re on their good side… I got outta the game a few months ago, though. Got too risky.” The dark haired girl took a pack of Marlboro Reds from her pocket and a red lighter from her pocket and lit one up. She offered one to Ian, who gratefully took one and she lit it for him.

Ian took a long drag from the cigarette and as he exhaled he looked down at the table. “What’s Mickey up to?”

“Don’t worry, he’s okay,” she replied sincerely as she took a drag, “He works at a hotel on the beach as a part-time janitor and bartender.” She paused for a moment, which made Ian look up and meet her gaze. “He talked about you a lot. That’s how I found you.”

“He didn’t send you here?”

“I already told you he didn’t. He has no idea I’m here for you.”

The redhead thought for a moment. “Why did you come here for me?”

The girl looked deep into his eyes. It made Ian’s stomach knot up, she looked so much like her brother when she did that. “I think that you should come see him. I think he needs to know that you don’t hold anything against him.”

“Why would I?”

“I don’t know. From what he told me you guys parted on good terms, but for him, there’s some paranoia.” Kat leaned back in the seat as she took a long drag.

They were silent for a little while, guilt building up in Ian’s core. How could Mickey ever think he had something against him?

Finally, the man spoke. “Mickey never mentioned you.”

“Why would he? So Terry could find me?” Kat laughed.

Ian chuckled. “You know he’ll be out of prison in a month.” He was starting to feel some responsibility for this girl, considering he was the reason Mickey got distracted and she almost got killed.

“But he’s not out _yet,_ ” she said, stubbing out the cigarette in the nearly filled ashtray. “But if I’m back here when he does get out, I’ll be able to handle him. He’s old. Gettin’ sloppy.” 

“Yeah,” Ian laughed, remembering the last time he beat up Terry Milkovich. He took a finally drag and stubbed out his cigarette.

Kat studied Ian’s face. She could see why Mickey fell so hard for him. The guy was quite pleasing to the eyes, like a statue carved out of marble.

“I’m bisexual, by the way,” she said.

Ian looked up in surprise. “Really?”

She laughed. “Yeah! Likin’ chicks and dicks is great. It’s good to have some variety, ya know?”

“I guess so…” he said softly, smiling as he finished his beer. 

“Fiona’s hot.”

Ian choked on his beer, making Kat laugh. He could feel his face heating up at the sound of it. She was his little girl now, too. He could tell why Mickey was so attached to her.

After wiping his face on his sleeve and a few moments of silence, Ian asked “How much longer do I have to think about it?”

“2 more days. After that, I need a definite answer. I can’t be here for longer than that.”

Ian nodded. He felt as though he had an answer already, but he knew that he would need to take advantage of the extra time to really think. What the hell would he do with the rest of his life if he didn’t take the chance to see Mickey again? If he did? He would have to figure it out. And he’d have to do it alone.

“Okay. I’ll call you.”


	3. The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian has a bad dream after talking with Katerina.

Kat watched as Ian left the bar in a daze. She felt sorry for him since it was a lot of shit to absorb, but it had to be done. She hoped to God he didn’t pity her.

When he was finally out of sight, she exited the bar, too, and went to sit in her car. She took out her phone and thought about Ian. She hoped he would be okay until she heard from him again. She thought it was strange how he reacted when she talked about Mickey going to the door while Terry beat her. It’s like he was taking responsibility. 

Her head popped up at the sudden realization that it must have been him. He was the one who needed to see Mickey that night. Tears threatened to spill over but she swallowed down a sob and wiped her eyes on the backs of her hands. “I forgive you, Ian,” she whispered.

She dialed Mickey’s number and the line trilled a few times.

_”Hey, sis,”_ said the familiar voice.

“Hey, big brother,” she said fondly.

_”How’s the South Side?”_

“Same as when I left…” she paused for a moment. “I met your ex.”

_”Who? Angie?”_

“No, not fuckin’ Angie Zaggo.” Kat hesitated for a moment. “Gallagher.”

Mickey went silent for a few beats on the other end and she became worried. _”Oh,_ ” he finally said, _”How’s he lookin’? Okay?”_

“He’s okay,” said Kat, starting her car so she could turn on the heat. The cold was as unforgiving as she remembered.

_”Did you fuckin’ talk to him?”_ Mickey spat on the other end in a hushed, but angry tone.

“No, why the fuck would I talk to your ex, fucker?” she retorted, annoyed, “He looked like he shit his pants when he saw me on the street though.” She let a chuckle escape her lips. “You and I always looked alike.”

_”It’s the attitude, bitch,”_ her older brother said with some pride. If there was anything a Milkovich should be proud of, one was their ability to survive and the other was the attitude they all possessed. 

The two of them shared a laugh for a few moments at Mickey’s comment before going quiet. Finally, Kat spoke up. “I gotta go find somewhere to sleep.”

_”’K, be careful. People like to fuck around, nothin’s changed on the South Side.”_

“Yeah, I know,” Kat said softly. She didn’t want to hang up and she knew Mickey didn’t either.

_”’K. I love you,”_ said the blue eyed Milkovich.

“Love you, too, Mikhailo.”

Katerina ended the call and put the car in drive as she wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye. She drove to the Gallagher’s street and shut the car off, feeling safer outside Ian’s home full of loving people than her old home full of hate.

\-----

Ian came home in a daze. His head was spinning as he had entered the front door to see the entire family sitting in the living-room. Lip noticed him and shouted, “Hey! Wanna make that cake with me? Been waitin’!”

“I’m gonna go to bed,” Ian said tiredly.

Fiona turned in her spot on the couch and her face was full of horror. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m just tired and my head is pounding,” Ian said as he hurried up the stairs.

Everyone in the house looked to Fiona. They all knew not to bother Ian when he ran up the stairs like that. “Is he okay?” asked Debbie, her daughter chewing on a toy in her lap.

“He’s been having a rough patch this week, Debs,” Lip interjected, “He’ll be fine in a few days.”

But when he and Fiona locked eyes, they both knew what was happening. _It’s that girl, isn’t it,_ they seemed to whisper to each other.

\-----

Upstairs, Ian quickly undressed from his winter boots and coat and slipped on an old t-shirt and some sweatpants. He pulled his large suitcase out from under his bed and stared at it. How the hell was he going to explain to his family what he was thinking of doing? _A month isn’t too long,_ he tried to reason with himself. But he remembered what Fiona said before he went with Mickey. It echoed in his mind.

_You’ve turned your life around. Mickey would set a match to it._

Ian stood and kicked his suitcase back under the bed before going to the bathroom to wash his face.

Looking in the mirror, he saw why Fiona looked so scared. There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. His skin seemed to be pulled taught over his bones and his face in general looked sunken in as if he had aged many years in this one week. He ran his fingertips over his cheekbones softly and frowned before turning the faucet and letting the warm water run over his hands before he splashed his face. He grabbed a towel after turning the faucet off and dabbed his face dry. He gave a final look in the mirror before exiting the bathroom and going to sit on his bed. 

The redhead felt the suitcase with his sock-covered heel and gently brushed against it from side to side. He thought of everything Mickey did for him…

Though Mickey didn’t have much emotional intelligence in regards to himself, he always knew when something was wrong with Ian and did whatever he could to try to make him smile. _Mickey_ was there for him when Monica came back and he even left Kat with Terry for him. Whenever they fucked it was rough but loving and Mickey always told Ian how much he needed him. He could always count on Mickey to spill his guts during sex.

_Mickey helped Ian turn his life around_ when he was manic and working at the club, getting drugged every night by random closeted perverts who wanted nothing more than to make him do whatever they wanted. _Mickey_ made Ian realize he needed to go to the psych ward and get medicated. _Mickey_ went to visit him in the psych ward. _Mickey_ went with him to his med appointments. _Mickey_ made sure he took them and did so much reading (which he fucking hated) about bipolar disorder and the medications Ian was taking.

Mickey came out to his violently homophobic family for Ian. He took beatings from Terry and protected Ian from him, _for_ him, because he couldn’t bare to lose Ian. 

_Mickey_ waited for Ian when he was locked up by MPs and when Monica took him.

_Mickey_ went through the pain of being broken up with by Ian after not seeing or hearing from him when he was with Monica.

_Mickey_ got Ian’s name incorrectly spelled permanently over his heart, declaring his love for him that was everlasting.

_Mickey_ broke out of jail to be with Ian.

He endured pain a final time when Ian left him at the border with a kiss.

Sure, Ian’s life had some stability in it, but he knew that it wasn’t worth it without Mickey.

Ian laid on his back, pulled his woolen blanket over his body, and he dreamed.

\-----

_The white sand brilliantly shone in the orange and red glow of the sunset. The sky behind Ian was turning blue, purple, black, as Nyx dragged her cloak of stars through the air, seeming to carry winds with her as Ian could feel it in his hair. He turned at the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and saw seafoam forming. The water was crystal clear blue, like his lover’s eyes. In the distance, a figure was slowly making its way towards him, dressed entirely in white, making the black hair stand out._

_Mickey._

_His shirt was open and his body seemed to be glowing in the light of the sunset. The closer he got, the more clearly Ian was able to see the smile on his face and he was absolutely beaming. Ian could feel tears of happiness flowing down his cheeks as he took in the sight of the love of his life._

_Mickey was a little over and arm’s length away now, and he looked away from Ian for a moment towards the sunset and ran a hand through his hair before looking back towards the redhead and laughing. That was a sound Ian missed and it made his heart feel full to bursting as he gasped at the sound._

_Suddenly the blue eyed man reached out to him and Ian did the same, slowly reaching to touch the man’s fingertips._

_But Ian never did get to feel his touch._

_Instead, the redhead got tunnel-vision, his world slowly fading to black as Mickey was sucked away from him and he screamed out Ian’s name. Ian screamed for Mickey, willing him to come back to him, but everything went completely black and he was lost._

_Ian seemed to open his eyes again and he was in the back of a cop car on a summer afternoon. It was so warm but he could feel wind from one of the windows being open in the front seats. The light was bright from behind his left shoulder and he could feel the heat of the sun’s rays through his shirt._

_He could hear the cops in the front seat talking but couldn’t see their faces, not even in the rearview or side mirrors._

_“Fuckin’ morons sellin’ meth,” said the cop in the driver’s seat. His voice was familiar but distorted. Ian couldn’t place it._

_“Fuckin’ twink,” says a voice next to him. The words hit his chest hard and he looks to his right._

_“Trevor?” he gasped?_

_The man turns to him and his eyes are burning red. “You’re nothing but a whore.” He began to laugh maniacally and Ian felt tears burning his throat. He wanted to scream at him for making his life hell, for dragging him into so much bullshit, but the cop in the driver’s seat shouted, “HEY!”_

_Ian’s head snapped forward at the familiar voice to look into the rearview mirror. The cop lifted his head so Ian could see his eyes. It was Mickey. The older man’s eyes were like ice as he said, “You left me at the border.”_

_“No… No, no, no!” Ian shouted frantically as he shook his head._

_Trevor kept laughing at him. “You fuckin’ twink!”_

_Ian shouted again. “You know I couldn’t go with you! Mickey! MICKEY!”_

_There was a loud honk from a semi-truck. Ian tilted his head to the right and saw that it was headed straight towards them and panicked. “MICKEY!”_

_Mickey took his hand off the wheel and turned to look at Ian as the headlights began to blind him. “MICKEY!”_

_But the blue eyed man shook his head. “Fuck you, Gallagher.”_

\-----

Lip shook his screaming brother in his bed, shouting his name in a desperate attempt to wake him from the nightmare that plagued him. “Ian! Ian, wake up! Fuckin’ wake up, Ian!”

Fiona and Debbie stood in the doorway of the boys’ room, tears in their eyes as they listened to Ian’s cries and saw his eyes clenched shut in horror.

“Ian!” Lip shouted again in the redhead’s face. Frustrated, he open-hand slapped the younger Gallagher across the face, causing Ian to jolt awake.

Lip had a tight hold on his shoulders, but let go when Ian locked eyes with him. He put his hands on either side of Ian’s face and whispered to him frantically as Ian gasped for air. “Shh, it’s okay. You’re okay, you’re home.” Lip looked to Fiona, who gently pulled Debbie away from the door and took her downstairs, as Lip could hear the creaking of the steps.

Ian finally began to calm down as Lip held him to his chest and rocked back and forth. His breathing steadied and he let out choked sobs.

“Goddamnit, Ian… You scared the fuck outta me,” Lip panted as he let go of his brother to hold him in front of himself to inspect him.

In the minimal light from the streetlamps outside, Lip could see that Ian’s eyes were red and puffy from crying. His tear stained face was flushed a dark pink and his nose was running slightly. His lips were swollen and pouting. Lip almost cried himself when he saw the pain in his brother’s green eyes.

“You okay?” the blue eyed Gallagher asked.

Ian nodded as he sniffled and wiped his nose on his shirt collar. He coughed. “Just a weird dream.”

“About Mickey?” Lip asks, a sad chuckle escaping his lips. 

Ian looked up in shock. “How…?”

“You kept fuckin’ screaming his name in your sleep,” Lip said, lighting a cigarette. “What’s goin’ on, Ian?” the oldest Gallagher brother begged, “Talk to me, man.”

Ian sighed as he felt a single tear slide down his dried tear-stained face as he sighed. “I think I just need to get away for while. I gotta get away from the South Side.” The redhead rubbed his eyes.

Lip nodded knowingly as he took a drag from the cig and exhaled. The smoke was illuminated by the light from the streetlamps. It seemed almost ethereal to the two brothers. “Mexico?” Lip asked.

Ian looked down at his lap, shame written in his face.

“With that girl? Kat?”

Ian slowly looks up Lip and their eyes meet.

“Who is she, Ian?”

“Mickey’s half-sister. Katerina,” Ian said slowly. He picked at a piece of skin on his thumb.

Lip nodded. “Fiona said she sorta looked familiar.” He stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray on the bureau. 

The green eyed Gallagher was silent, but he nodded. 

Lip broke the silence. “You’re gonna go see him.”

Ian looked up. He knew it wasn’t an inquiry. It was more of a command on Lip’s part. He had noticed changes in Ian since he left Mickey at the border, and most of them weren’t for the better. 

Ian sniffled again as more tears fell from his eyes. Knowing now how much Lip supported him and supported his relationship with Mickey was overwhelming. He looked up at his brother with pleading eyes. “Please don’t tell anyone?” he whimpered.

Lip’s eyes welled up with tears at the sound of his brother’s voice. He’d never seen Ian so broken except for Mickey’s wedding to Svetlana, and even then he didn’t cry. But he forced a smile and patted his brother’s cheek. “Get some sleep.”

\-----

The next morning was an awkward one in the Gallagher household. The Gallagher women were in the kitchen fixing up breakfast. Fiona had told Debbie to just try to act natural and play with Franny when Ian woke up and not to bother him about last night.

“I’m just glad Carl had to do the overnight,” Fiona said to herself as she mixed the pancake batter. 

Upstairs, Lip woke before his younger brother and groggily rubbed his eyes to get rid of the fogginess. He looked towards the sleeping redhead and was happy to see that he was peaceful, snoring softly with half of his face in the pillow and his blanket snug around his body. The room was nearly freezing and Lip was thankful they both wore sweatpants and fluffy socks.

Hopping down softly from the top bunk, Lip put on his slippers and took a final look at Ian’s sleeping form before heading downstairs to the kitchen. 

Fiona and Debbie looked towards the stairs with racing hearts but were relieved when they saw the oldest Gallagher brother instead. “How is he?” Fiona asked as she poured some batter into the skillet.

“He’s still sleepin’, so that’s good,” Lip replied softly as he poured a cup of coffee. 

“Why was he screaming for Mickey?” Debbie asked as she fed Franny in her highchair after cutting up Liam’s pancake. The question earned her a smack on the arm from her older sister.

“He’s just got a lot goin’ on in his mind, Debs,” Lip said simply as he took a sip of the morning brew, “Stress is triggering some old memories.”

The girl looked down at the table and felt a twinge of guilt for asking about it before picking up the spoon and feeding her daughter.

Fiona flipped the pancake in the skillet before putting away the milk and orange juice so they didn’t spoil quicker. “In the meantime, all we can do is just let him be and if he needs anything, he’ll come to one of us.”

\-----

Upstairs, Ian woke from his deep sleep with a groan. He had enjoyed the rest of the night without anymore dreams and felt as though he actually got some good rest for the first time since Monday. Usually, he would be excited about Fridays since it was only one more day till the weekend, but he hadn’t been to work all week, which was fine with Sue since there were some new people that were on-call. 

Ian looked at his phone and saw he had a message from Katerina. He unlocked the screen and read it slowly, his eyes still foggy with sleep.

_Kat 6:34 a.m.: Hey hope you’re okay from yesterday’s convo_

Ian smiled sleepily and replied, _Yeah I’m fine don’t worry about it :)_

He looked at the time. 8:42 a.m. He sat up slowly and stretched, the memories of his nightmare coming back and hitting him like a ton of bricks. 

Standing up a bit too quickly, Ian almost fell back onto his bed but steadied himself on the bureau and walked as quickly as he could to the bathroom to splash himself with cold water to return him to the present.

Downstairs, everyone looked up at the sound of creaking floorboards and hoped for the best.

Meanwhile, Ian had splashed his face a few times and was shivering slightly as he dried himself off with a towel before slapping his cheeks lightly to wake himself up for breakfast. He could smell butter from the skillet and knew Fiona had to be making pancakes.

All conversation downstairs had ceased when the stairs began to creak under Ian’s footsteps. He looked at his siblings and smiled a small smile which they returned along with some quiet morning greetings. 

“Makin’ pancakes,” Fiona said.

“Yum,” said the redhead softly, his throat hoarse with sleep as he grabbed a mug and poured some coffee. He went towards the living-room, mug in hand, but stopped in the doorway and turned to face his siblings. “Listen.”

Everyone looked towards him except Lip, who had an idea of where this was going and just sipped his coffee with raised eyebrows.

“I know last night freaked you out, and trust me, it was even worse for me. But I’m fuckin’ fine. A nightmare is just a nightmare. Can’t hurt me. So can we please not be all silent and weird? Let’s be fuckin’ loud like usual like fuckin’ Gallaghers.” Ian raised his mug slightly and Lip raised his amusedly. 

“Okay,” Fiona said with a small smile, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Ian nodded and walked back towards the kitchen table to sit next to Liam, who was sticking his fork into a piece of pancake. “You’re okay, Ian?” he asked in his soft voice.

Ian smiled sadly at his youngest brother and kissed his hair. “I’m fine, buddy, just a bad dream.” The answer seemed to satisfy the 8 year old and he went back to his pancake bites.

Franny looked over at her uncle with the same hair as her. The 3 year old gave him a toothy grin before saying “Unkey Een!”

Ian laughed deep in his belly. Inside, he felt shocked to realize that hadn’t happened in a while, but his face sure didn’t show it because everyone else was laughing along with him at Franny’s comment.

“Yeah, Unkey Een is okay, munchkin,” the green eyed man replied with a bright smile.

Fiona walked towards the table with a stack of three pancakes for Ian and three for Lip. While Lip reached for the butter, Ian reached for the maple syrup and both drowned their breakfast in their desired topping. 

“Mm,” Lip hummed to get Ian’s attention, “You gonna go to work today?”

“Nah,” replied Ian through a mouthful of pancake, “I’m gonna take a little while off. Wanna bake that cake?” the redhead asked, looking up at his brother.

Lip smiled as he chewed his breakfast. He nodded. “Fuck yeah.”

Fiona looked at her siblings and niece and smiled to herself. She looked up at the clock and noticed she and Debbie would be late. “Debs, we gotta run!”

Debbie picked up her daughter and zipped her jacket before putting her in her stroller and buckling her in. “Bye, guys!” said the youngest Gallagher sister as she kissed her 3 brothers on the cheek.

“Bye!” Fiona shouted from the living-room.

“Bye!” Lip and Ian shouted while Liam waved, unseen from the corner of the table farthest from the entryway to the living-room.

Lip stood and brought his plate to put in the fridge and save it for later. “I gotta bring Liam to school, but when I get back, wanna bake that fucker?” He walked back to the table to fetch Liam and his backpack and flashed Ian a smile.

Ian chuckled as he stuck the fork in his mouth. He chewed as he replied softly. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope y'all are liking this fic so far. I have some pretty cool stuff in store for later chapters. I'll also be updating my tags as time goes on.  
> Leave comments and kudos please!  
> Much love! ~Gabby


	4. The Family (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian and Lip have brother bonding time and bake. Katerina goes to Ian for a favour.
> 
> Russian translations:  
> Zdravstvuy, moya lyubov- Hello, my love  
> Davai- Let's go!

Fiona drove while Debbie played with Franny in the back seat. The little one was laughing as Debbie shook her head, her auburn locks flowing left and right in front of her face, and Fiona laughed along with her. Soon though, Debbie was dizzy and, luckily, Franny was bored of it and turned her attention to the world that was passing by her on the other side of the window.

Debbie sighed as she smoothed her daughter’s hair and looked in the rearview mirror at Fiona. “Do you really think Ian’s okay?”  
Fiona looked in the mirror for a split second at her sister before returning her eyes to the road. “Yeah, I do,” she replied, her voice serious, “He just has a lot going on right now.”

“With what? He hasn’t been to work all week,” the girl complained.

All Fiona could do was sigh and tell the truth. “An old friend of his from school came by and they hung out for a bit. When he came back, he just… he wasn’t himself. I think she just reminded him of the way things used to be.”

“That why he was screaming for Mickey in his sleep?” the younger girl asked softly.

Fiona blinked. She knew in her gut there had to be some ulterior motive with this Kat. She was so similar to Mickey. There was a glint in her eye that only a Milkovich would have, someone whose main goal was just to survive each day. There was something else going on, and it made Fiona’s stomach upset to think about what her brother might be getting himself into. “Yeah. He was reminded of the past.” 

_Maybe it’s just me,_ the oldest Gallagher thought to herself.

The rest of the car ride was silent except for Franny’s babbling and cooing.

\-----

When Lip got back home from dropping Liam off at school, Ian was ready and waiting with a giant mixing bowl, a measuring cup, eggs, oil, and the 4 boxes of chocolate cake mix. He smiled as his brother walked into the kitchen. “Ready, Mr. Ramsey?” the green eyed Gallagher said in the worst British accent his brother had ever heard.

“Fuck off,” Lip laughed as he opened up two boxes, while the redhead grabbed the other two. “We need 2 eggs per box and 1 tablespoon of oil, so get 8 eggs and the 4 tablespoons ready and I’ll dump in the mix.”

“Gotcha,” Ian replied, measuring out the oil.

“So,” Lip said as he began dumping the mix into the giant bowl.

Ian looked up from the measuring cup. “So?”

“Tell me about what you and Kat are up to.” Lip locked eyes with his brother as he bit the corner of his lip.

“You already know the gist of it. Go to Mexico with her for a month to see Mickey,” Ian explained, moving to grab the 8 eggs from the carton, “Today’s Friday, so I have till Sunday to decide if I’m going.”

“But you are,” said the oldest Gallagher brother, “I mean, you seemed pretty sure about it when we talked last night.”

“I wanna go, but I don’t know if I should. There’s a difference.” Ian poured the oil into the mixing bowl and Lip began to help him crack the eggs.

“It would only be for a month, though,” Lip reasoned.

“True… Not any longer. Then I’d come back.” Ian cracked his third egg and threw away the shell before grabbing the fourth. 

“Do you think you’ll wanna stay with him?” Lip asked, then added “If you go?”

“I dunno,” Ian pondered a bit as he threw away the last eggshell, “I mean… I always thought Kash and I would get married one day if he left Linda.” Lip laughed at that, but Ian ignored him and continued. “We’d get a house together and live like a real couple.”

“Yeah, did you forget you were also a fuckin’ minor?” Lip laughed again.

Ian rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know, I was a minor and I was fuckin’ stupid and naive. I did love him, though.” He stopped and thought for a moment and Lip looked at him as he began to mix the ingredients together. “Well… I loved spending time with him, I guess. I loved the affection.”

Lip nodded as he raised his eyebrows. He grunted as he mixed the now thickening batter.

“Want me to take over mixing duty?” Ian asked as he took out two cake tins.

“Sure, I’ll get those ready,” Lip replied as he took put away the oil and eggs. He grabbed the large tub of butter from the fridge and got to work on the sides of the tins. “So, now that we know how you felt about Kash… What about Mickey?”

Ian alternated between mixing slowly and thoroughly and mixing quickly, making sure he got all the lumps out. “That’s a whole other thing.” He smiled to himself.

“Yeah?” Lip asked as he looked up for a split second, a smile beginning to tug at the corner of his mouth.

“Mickey’s definitely my first love. I think… I think he’s my soulmate, really.”

“I feel you,” Lip said as he grabbed the other cake tin, “No matter what happened, you guys always came back to each other…” Lip’s voice trailed off and Ian looked over at him, as if he was urging him to continue what he wanted to say. Lip felt those green eyes on him and continued. “But you left him at the border. Something must’ve changed in you.”

Ian continued mixing at a steady pace. “Fiona got in my head the night before we left. She made me think things would be so much better without him but一”

“一things went to shit, I know. Trevor and the whole shebang.” Lip interrupted as he grabbed the batter from Ian’s hands. He began pouring it into the cake tins. “Maybe things will be good in Mexico, though.”

“Maybe…” Ian sighed, watching the batter flow before turning on the oven to preheat, “Kat said she has all the meds I’ll need ready. Mickey remembered all of them.”

“Did he send her here?” Lip asked, a sort of agitated suspicion beginning to form.

“No,” Ian explained, and the honesty in his voice shone through to Lip, soothing him a bit. “She said he talked about me all the time. I guess that’s what made her come here.”

“Did she used to live with them?” Lip inquired.

“Yeah, she went to live with Terry and everyone after her mom got sick and died. She left when she was 15 and went to live in Mexico. Kept in contact with Mickey, that’s why he decided to go there.”

“Huh,” Lip exclaimed as he finished pouring the batter, “Why’d she leave?”

“Terry beat the fuck outta her and Mickey helped her escape.” Ian felt proud to say that last part. His Mickey, the hero he always knew he could be.

“Fuck, man, glad she got away. Doesn’t he get out in a month or somethin’?”

“Yup.”

The oven beeped and Lip grabbed the tins while Ian opened the oven. “What’s she look like?” the older brother asked as he put the tins on a rack and shut the oven.

“She’s pretty. Kinda looks like Mickey but I think it’s mostly her attitude. You can tell she’s a Milkovich. But she’s got dark eyes and her skin isn’t pale white like the rest of ‘em. She’s… olive-y.”

“Sounds nice. Got a pic?” Lip smirked as he rested against the counter and crossed his arms.

Ian shook his head and smiled. “I’ll send you a selfie from the beach if I go.”

“Bring plenty of sunscreen. You’re gonna be a lobster,” Lip said as he cocked an eyebrow, his grin widening. “What’s she like, though?”

“She’s a lot like Mickey. She tries to hide her emotions, but it doesn’t always work. She’s kinda like me, too, in that way, I guess. I see us both in her.” Ian pauses for a moment as Lip chuckles. “She’s bi.”

Lip raises both eyebrows. “Plays for both teams, huh?”

Ian laughs. “Yeah.”

\-----

Katerina knew it was a bit of a bold move by going back to the Gallagher house, but Ian was the only person she felt comfortable talking to. Iggy probably didn’t want to deal with her (not like she tried to contact him, though) and Ian was the only person she had spoken to in Chicago other than Fiona, who she knew for a fact didn’t like her. She didn’t know what it was about Ian, but she could tell why Mickey loved him so much. He was definitely an easy person to talk to, considering she told him her life story just the day before. But now, there was something that she needed him to do for her. 

So she slowly came to a stop outside 2119 North Wallace and put the car in park. She looked up at the house, wondering who was there and who wasn’t. She tried to remember Ian’s siblings’ names. _Lip… Debs? Carl… Is Liam the youngest or Carl?_ She shook her head, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to recognize most of them since she had no idea what they looked like anyway, and shut the car off before making her way to the front door. She knocked 5 times.

\-----

Inside, Lip heard the knocks before Ian did and went to answer it while Ian kept an eye on the time. The cakes still needed another 7 or so minutes.

Outside, Katerina stood in the cold stillness of winter in Chicago. She heard footsteps and when she realized they weren’t Ian’s she felt panic building in her gut. But she remembered what her brother always taught her. _Be tough, don’t take shit from anyone._ So she stood up straight and let her inner Milkovich show as the door opened.

_Damn,_ she thought. If she felt giddy on the inside, she sure didn’t show it. This guy was beautiful.

“Hey, can I help you?” Lip asked, his big, blue eyes sparkling.

“Ian home?” asked Kat, and her tone scared Lip a bit. She was definitely like her brother.

“Yeah, hang on,” he replied before closing the door slightly to not let any heat out, but changed his mind and asked, “Wanna come in?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Kat said gratefully, letting her Milkovich persona slide away to reveal her calmer side. She stepped in and began to remove her coat and wet combat boots.

Lip moved out of the way to let her into the living-room. “I’m Lip, by the way. Ian’s brother.” 

“I’m Kat.” She held out her hand and he took it, shaking it cautiously.

“Ian! Kat’s here!” Lip called into the kitchen before sitting on the couch. “You can sit.”

Kat nodded and plopped onto the couch next to him.

Ian entered the living-room with bright eyes and a glow in his face that Lip hadn’t seen in a few days. The green eyed Gallagher had began to feel a comfort from Katerina’s presence and through her texts, and seeing her in the house, although it was only the second time, felt almost right to him. He moved passed Lip to hug her. “Hey! Kat!”

“Hey,” the girl replied, hugging Ian back firmly. She took in his scent and found a comfort in it. “I need to ask you a small favour.”

The tone of her voice made Lip’s stomach flip slightly. It unnerved him how quickly she went from full-on Milkovich to a soft, kind girl in less than 2 minutes. It made Ian nervous. He hadn’t heard that urgency from her before.

“Sure, what’s up?” the younger Gallagher asked as he sat down next to her.

Biting the skin on her bottom lip, Kat looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. “I wanna meet my nephew,” she said in almost a whisper.

Ian raised his eyebrows. “Yevgeny? Mick told you ‘bout him?”

She looked up into his green eyes. “Yeah. He had a few pictures, but nothing recent obviously… I wanna see how big he’s gotten. How old is he?”

“Just turned 3 not too long ago,” Ian said proudly. He loved that boy as if he was his own. Hell, the kid sometimes called him “Papa Ian,” but only called Kevin “Kiki” while Veronica was “Auntie V.” Of course, Mickey was always “Papa” and Svetlana was “Mama.”

Kat inhaled and exhaled sharply. Damn, the kid was already 3. She had missed his entire life and Mickey had missed 2 vital years of bonding time with his only child. She swallowed thickly. At least Yevgeny had Ian here to bond with. “When can I meet him?”

“We could go right now, if you want. Kev and V are home. Maybe Svetlana, too.”

Svetlana. Katerina knew about her, the whore Terry hired to rape Mickey while Ian watched after he caught them having sex on the couch. Her throat burned but she knew that this woman was a good mother to her nephew. “Yeah.”

“Yeah?” Ian raised his brows and smiled. He loved that Kat wanted to meet Yevgeny. He didn’t talk about his Papa a lot, but maybe seeing her would remind him of Mickey. “We could come back after and have some cake. Me and Lip are baking, they’re in the oven right now.” He looked to his brother for confirmation. Katerina looked between the two boys as they talked.

Lip nodded. “Yeah, only like 5 more minutes and then we can get ‘em out.”

“They’ll cool off for a while and then we can decorate them with icing or somethin’,” Ian added.

The idea of bonding with Ian a bit more before Mexico made the brown eyed girl smile. She looked up at Ian and nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Ian smiled warmly and stood. “I’ll get my shit and we can go meet Yev.”

“Genya,” Kat said softly.

Ian looked back at her from the front door as he was putting on his boots. “Huh?”

“Genya. It’s the nickname for ‘Yevgeny.’ But ‘Yev’ is cute, too.”

Lip and Ian made eye contact and Lip just shrugged his shoulders and looked at Kat’s side profile. She was beautiful, and she had all the good qualities of Mickey. He felt a soft spot for her growing inside of him. The shit she went through… He wanted nothing more than to put this broken girl back together and hoped that Mickey had helped with some of that. Maybe Ian could, too, by taking her to meet Yevgeny.

Ian looked down as he pulled on his boot and straightened up to put on his jacket as Katerina joined him by the front door, zipping her boots. “How far do Kevin and Veronica live from here?”

Lip answered from the couch, “Just a few houses down.”

She looked up and her eyes melted his heart as she smiled at him. He could see Mandy in her smile.

The redhead opened the door as Kat zipped up her jacket. “Don’t forget about the cakes!” Lip answered with a thumbs up and waved goodbye to them with a smile.

\-----

Ian and Katerina walked slowly side by side. “Lip’s beautiful,” she murmured.

Ian looked at her and chuckled. “Yeah, he’s always been the cute one, I guess.”

Kat smiled to herself, but it didn’t last long. Her brows furrowed as she spoke softly. “I’m scared.”

“Don’t be, Lip’s a nice guy. I think he likes you,” he said playfully as he nudged her with his elbow.

“No, I mean Yevgeny. I’m scared to meet him.” She lowered her face to looked down at her feet as they inched closer and closer to Kev and V’s.

“It’s gonna be fine. I’ll be there with you.” He instinctively reached out and grabbed the girl’s hand, holding it firmly but gently in his. 

When she looked up at him with a red nose and cheeks, he smiled knowing that his warmth was having a soothing effect on her. After all, she was his girl now, too, not just Mickey’s.

They picked up their pace a bit and Kat asked, “What does he like?”

Ian rocked his head from side to side as he pondered for a moment. “ _Loves_ dinosaurs and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

“Good, two things I know,” the olive skinned girl laughed.

Sooner than she thought, they had made it to the house and were climbing the steps to the front door. Inside, she could hear the sounds of little ones laughing and playing with a man she assumed to be Kevin. Ian knocked on the door and she tightened her grip on his hand, yet her face was stoic. It hurt to see how, even in her bad moments, she was so much like his love.

The door opened and a woman answered. “Hey, Ian, what’s up?”

“Hey, V. This is Katerina, Mickey’s sister,” Ian said, letting go of Kat’s hand to put an arm around her shoulder. Kat lifted her hand in a lazy wave as she let a small smile form.

Veronica stood there dumbfounded by how much this girl reminded her of Mickey, but caught herself after a few moments and smiled as she took a breath in. “Hi, Katerina,” she said, holding her hand out to shake the younger girl’s, who took it and gave it a firm shake.

“You two wanna come in? We made some mac and cheese.” Veronica moved away from the door and towards the living-room where Kat could see a tall man sitting on the couch with two little girls in his lap and another woman sat next to him with a little blonde boy.

Kat swallowed her tears and entered the house followed by Ian, who took her coat and hung it with his. They removed their boots and Kat went to sit on the floor in front of the man and the two girls. Ian went to the kitchen to help Veronica with the bowls. 

“Are they your girls?” Kat asked, and Ian smiled when he came back to sit down with her and hand her the mac and cheese. He’d never guess when he met her that little kids would be such a weakness. She was practically glowing at the sight of them.

“Yeah!” Kev said enthusiastically, “This is Amy and Gemma. My perfect little angels!” Kevin said in a high pitched baby voice as he kissed them both feverishly on their cheeks. Kat smiled.

“I’m Katerina,” she said.

“Kevin, you can call me Kev. Just don’t call me ‘Kiki’ like Yevy does,” said Kevin, cocking his head towards the blue eyed boy.

Ian tapped the girl’s shoulder and introduced her. “Svet, this is Katerina. She’s Mickey’s sister.” He motioned to the little boy and said to him, “This is your Auntie, Papa’s sister. Her name is Katerina.”

“Kitty,” Yevgeny said in his small voice and bit his bottom lip.

Katerina felt the tears spilling onto her cheeks as her smile quivered. “ _Zdravstvuy, moya lyubov,_ ” she said softly as she wiped the tears with the back of her hand. Ian held her bowl and looked on in awe of the amount of love he saw in her face. He would have to learn more Russian.

“We speak also English. You want to hold?” Svetlana asked, her face like stone.

Kat looked up and saw that she was very beautiful. It made her heart flutter. How many beautiful people was she going to see in Chicago? “Yes, please” she said softly as she stood and was handed the boy. Cradling him against her hip, she asked, “Can I have a hug?”

Yevgeny threw his arms around her neck and locked his legs tightly around her waist. “Auntie Kitty!” he squealed, and the girl’s heart melted as she peppered his hair with kisses. She couldn’t believe how much he looked like Mickey. 

“Come with me, he needs to change clothes.” Svetlana stood and put her bowl on the coffee table as she ascended the stairs.

Kat looked at Ian for support and comfort, much like a dog does when it is unsure of something. He nodded and assured her it would be okay. “Svetlana’s not as scary as she looks.”

The girl smiled and sniffled, walking slowly to the stairs and climbing them one by one, careful to hold tightly to Yevgeny.

“ _Davai!_ ” he exclaimed, laughing.

“Okay, babes,” Katerina laughed as she increased her speed up the steps.

She looked around in wonder at her new surroundings and asked Yevgeny, “Where’s your room?”

“I show you!” he said, pointing to the ground. As soon as Kat put him down, Yevgeny grabbed her hand and guided her to his bedroom he shared with the twins. Svetlana sat on a chair with his clean clothes in her lap, smiling when he entered. “Come to Mama!” she cooed.

The boy ran to his mother, who hugged him close and kissed the top of his head before helping him out of his shirt and pants as she spoke to Kat, who sat on the floor. “You are sister?”

“Yeah, Mickey’s sister,” she said, her face hardening. 

“Your brother stays with you?”

Katerina nodded. “In Mexico.”

“Mm,” Svetlana grunted. “Does he ask about his son?” She pulled Yevgeny’s pants up and helped him put on his shirt. “Arms up!”

“He talked about him. He does love him, you know.” Katerina assured the woman.

Svetlana looked up at the girl with interest. “Yevgeny loves you already. You are good person. I like you, then.” She let a smile dance across her mouth.

“I like you, too,” Kat smiled back.

Yevgeny turned to look at his aunt. “Ready!” he shouted and ran to hug her before running out of the room and down the stairs. 

Katerina laughed to herself. “He’s beautiful. Looks like his father.”

“Yes,” Svetlana said softly, sinking to sit on the floor in front of the girl, “You look like him, too.”

“I get that a lot.” Katerina had a feeling that Svetlana wasn’t simply taking an interest in her for the sake of her son.

“You like boys or girls?” Svetlana asked, seducing the girl.

“Both.” Katerina didn’t miss a beat. She liked Svetlana enough, she thought she was beautiful, but she didn’t want to make this woman into her lover. 

“I like girls.” Svetlana moved her face closer to Katerina’s. “Katyusha,” she whispered before letting her eyelids fall closed and pressing her lips to her ex-sister-in-law’s.

Katerina simply sat still and didn’t kiss back. This woman had raped her brother for money and didn’t even give it a second thought. She married him in a shotgun wedding and made him a father when he wasn’t ready for it. 

Svetlana pulled away from the girl’s mouth and opened her eyes slowly. “Hmm.” She stood briskly and grabbed Yevgeny’s dirty clothes.

Katerina’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “The fuck does that mean?”

“You are good person. Strong values. I feel it.”

“You raped my brother. Why would I want to kiss you?”

“We can have good friendship. You love Yevgeny, yes?” the woman asked as she held out her hand to help Kat stand.

Taking it and rising to her feet, Kat replied plainly, “Yeah, I love my nephew.”

“Then everything fine.” Svetlana smiled and turned to walk out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

Kat shook her head but followed her. How in the hell did kissing her help determine whether or not they’d have a good relationship and bond together over Yevgeny? Perhaps she would never find out, but if it helped Svetlana feel better about her, then so be it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like this chapter needed some fluffy Yevgeny time. Also, I have no idea what compelled me to make Svetlana kiss Katerina, but here it is. 
> 
> Hope you guys stay tuned for more!
> 
> Leave comments and kudos if you liked it!


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